Tallmadge posts strong Ohio report card ratings; early literacy inches up to 77.3%

District administrators presented the 2024–25 Ohio report card at the Sept. 17 Tallmadge Board of Education meeting and highlighted strong ratings in several categories alongside areas for continued focus.

Assistant Superintendent Courtney Davis (first referenced as Missus Davis) told the board the district earned four stars for achievement, five stars for gap closing and five stars for graduation. "Our achievement, we're meeting or exceeding state expectations," Davis said. She credited improvements to classroom instruction, intervention structures and a new core curriculum adoption.

Early literacy: Davis said early literacy remains at three stars after the district reached 77.3% in the measure; the state threshold for four stars was 78%. "We needed 78% to be 4 stars, and we are at 77.3. As you can tell, that bothers me," she said. The metric tracks K‑3 literacy diagnostics and students moving from "not on track" to "on track," using a state‑approved tool; the district uses MAP for diagnostic growth monitoring.

Other measures: Progress (student growth) showed positive academic growth, and college/career/military readiness was rated three stars. Davis noted the district expanded elementary gifted services beginning in fourth grade and saw increased participation in College Credit Plus and CTE pathways.

Why it matters: Board members and administrators framed the results as largely positive but said they will continue targeted interventions—particularly early literacy—to move narrowly missed benchmarks.

Public reaction: During public comment, John Bryan of the Tallmadge Teachers Association praised third‑grade students' performance on state reading tests and urged continued community support for district initiatives.

Next steps: Administrators said they will continue progress monitoring, intervention through MTSS and use of the STAR reading team to support early grades.